Create power block

After placed the arrays, user can click the "Create power block" button in the toolbar to access the "Power block" interface.

Note: User must first select the electrical configuration type and set the device sizes on this interface before starting the creation process.

The operations for the three division methods, namely "Auto create ", "Assist create", and "Freely create", Below, we will explain the operational steps for each of these division methods.

Freely create power block

The basic operational steps are as follows:

Step 1: After clicking the "Freely create" button, a dialog box will pop up, indicating the current electrical configuration. If the electrical configuration is not correct, please promptly change it and then click "Freely create" again.

Step 2: User can selects arrays by clicking with the left mouse button, holding Shift to cancel selection, or holding Ctrl to select multiple.

TIPS： Since version 3.4.0, the software has supported the creation of power blocks by selecting L1 combine areas. The general usage method is as follows: a.User must create a large power block and place a transformer. b.User must use the "Electrical connection" tool to create all L1combine areas either by auto or by manual. c.Return to this function and switch to select L1 combine area by using the "TAB" key.

Step 3: After selection, user can right-click mouse to create a new power block or add it to an existing one.

Step 4: If user choose "Create power block", the selected arrays will form a new power block. At this point, the software will automatically enter the mode for placing a transformer (or central inverter). User can use the left mouse button to determine a location for placing the transformer (or central inverter) around the newly created block.

Step 5: If user choose "Add to existing block by left click", user can use the left mouse button to point to any array in the block user wish to add to. The software will indicate the block with a red box. User can click the left mouse button to confirm.

The arrays of divided power blocks can be reset to an undivided state through the right-click menu.

Assist create power block

Since version 3.0.0, the original "Assist create" function has been improved to divide power blocks more easily.

The "Assist create" interface primarily consists of two sub-items: the first is "Plan", which is used to determine the area to be divided, as well as the capacity and number of transformers. the second is "Assist create", which is used to specify the number of strings connected to each power block.

Set areas and plan the capacity and number of transformers

Click the "Set areas" button, user can use the left mouse button to draw a closed and relatively independent area, then right click to select "Done" to end the selection. User can select different areas multiple times. After selection, all strings to be divided will be displayed in red.

If user check "All areas", there is no need to draw areas. The software will set the entire field as the string to be divided. 

This plan is only preliminary and can be adjusted at any time during the division process. After user adjust the interface settings, user must click "Start" again to active the change.

Create settings

"Specify qty. of str.": can specify the quantity of strings for the block to be divide.

For "Std. Qty. of strings", one can refer to the "Strings. per trans." calculated in the "Plan" phase.

"Freely": User can freely determine the number of strings required for the block.

Specify qty. of str. - "Continuously dividing"

Click "Start" the software will first pop up the "Please choose the exclusion mode" interface, where user need to choose exclusion mode to be used for automatic removal during subsequent divisions (this method can be modified later through the right-click menu).

The "Exclusion mode" include eight types: top (right), top (left), down (right), down (left), left (top), left (down), right (top), and right (down).

Example: top (right) The meaning is to start removing from the top row of the selected array, and to remove from the right side of the top row.

After user select the exclusion mode, user can choose the strings to be divided. The software provides two modes for selecting strings: "Frame selection" and "Noose selection" (switchable by pressing the ALT key).

Mode 1: When the qty. of selected strings exceeds the set value for "Std. Qty. of strings", the software will automatically reject strings based on the "Exclusion mode" selected in the previous step, and ensure that the division result meets the set value for "Std. Qty. of strings". When the number of selected strings allows for the creation of multiple power blocks, multiple blocks will be created, and the results will be displayed in different colors, with each color representing a different power block.

At this moment, user can view the logic of the current "Exclusion mode", the qty. of blocks that have been divided, and the operation prompts in the lower left corner of the SketchUp interface.

If the results do not meet expectations, user can press and hold "Shift" to deselect the previous string in this block. After user deselects the strings, user can select the string again.

Mode 2: User can see the operation prompts in the lower left corner of the SketchUp interface.

During the "Continuously dividing" process, user can right-click at any time to access the menu: 

"End divide -Create transformer": Regardless of whether the current qty. of divided strings meets the set value for "Std. Qty. of strings", user can use this function at any time to end the current divide, create, and place a transformer.

After user select to create a transformer, the following dialog box will pop up. For the usage of related parameters, please refer to "5.1.4 - Auto locate transformer" in this manual.

When user select to delete the arrays shaded by the transformer, if the count of arrays after deletion does not meet the input "allocated string quantity", the software will pop up the following prompt. If "Yes" is selected, the software will automatically select some un-selected strings to balance the string quantity of each block, so that its string quantity equals the set "Std. Qty. of strings". 

If there are no un-selected strings, the software will allocate some strings from the last divided block to balance the number of strings in other blocks.

During the process of placing transformers, as shown in the figure below, the data within the red box on the "Assist create power block" interface will dynamically change according to the division results, facilitating the user's subsequent division.

Specify qty. of str. - Do not check "Continuous Partition"

Click "Start" and use the left mouse button to select the desired arrays. The selected arrays border will turn blue. When selecting, you can use the Shift (deselect) or Ctrl (select multiple) buttons for operation.

In the lower left corner of the SketchUp interface, you can see operation instructions and statistical data. Press the "Table" key to switch between selecting undivided arrays or selecting all arrays. Press "ALT " to switch between box selection mode or noose selection mode. The statistical data includes the selected string quantity, capacity, etc...

Right click the mouse and select "New Power block". In the secondary menu, the previously set capacity of the box transformer, standard transformer capacity, and special transformer capacity will appear. If the required transformer capacity is not listed above, you can also use the "Custom Capacity" function to input the required capacity.

After selecting the desired box transformer capacity with the left mouse button, a dialog box will pop up saying "If the number of strings exceeds the preset, it needs to be removed" (this dialog box will not pop up if the number of strings is less than or equal to the preset quantity), and a removal method is provided. There are 8 ways to exclude, including top (right), top (left), bottom (right), bottom (left), left (top), left (bottom), right (top), and right (bottom).You can also choose 'do not exclude'.

After selecting the appropriate removal method, click "OK". The software will automatically remove the excess arrays and pop up a dialog box for selecting the box transformer positioning method. You can choose to manually or automatically place the transformer.

After the division is completed, all previously planned transformers will be displayed in the upper left corner of the interface, and the qty. of strings, ratios, power, and L1 combiner devices corresponding to each transformer will be updated in real time based on the current block division situation.

Auxiliary Line

For large-scale projects with standard block layouts, the division of power blocks can be efficiently completed by combining the "auxiliary line" function with the "continuous division" function.

Drawing of auxiliary lines

Click "auxiliary line" to start drawing and right click to get menu for more functions.

There are two main types for drawing "auxiliary lines": "drawing construction lines" and "drawing polylines".

Draw Construction Line: Draw an infinitely extending straight line by two points.

Drawing polylines: Draw polylines, right-click - "End Drawing" to complete one drawing.

Highlight undivided strings: Making it easier to distinguish between divided and undivided strings.

Status information will be presented in the status bar at the bottom left corner of the screen. 

Delete and edit auxiliary lines

After drawing the auxiliary line, users can right-click in the blank area to open the right-click menu, where they can choose to delete or edit line.

Delete Auxiliary Lines: hold down the left mouse button to select the auxiliary lines to be deleted (selected auxiliary lines will be displayed in red, un-selected ones will be displayed in purple).

Edit Auxiliary Lines: This feature allows users to rotate drawn lines. Left click tto select the line to rotate, then select one of the point to start rotating.

Move, copy, or array auxiliary lines

Right-click in the blank area to choose to move, copy, or array the auxiliary line.

Move/Copy Line Segment : Left click to select the auxiliary line to move or copy, Next, left click to select the base point for moving or copying, aselect the auxiliary linend finally left click again to select the target point.

Status information will be presented in the status bar at the bottom left corner of the screen.

Batch Copy Line Segments: Left click select the auxiliary line. Subsequently, the software will prompt the user to set the direction of the array by clicking the left mouse button. After select direction, the software will pop up a dialog box where the user can select the batch copying mode and enter the necessary parameters. After completing the settings, click the "OK" button to perform the array operation. 

Using auxiliary lines to divide power blocks

After completing the drawing of auxiliary lines and setting other parameters in the interface, check the "Continuous Division" option and click the "Start" button.

Then, the auxiliary line divides the undivided string into multiple auxiliary line regions. When the mouse move to any area, the outline of that area will be highlighted in blue.

Right clicking anywhere will bring up a right-click menu, allowing users to select different partitioning modes. The division mode is mainly composed of different combinations of "cross region" and "restriction" conditions.

Cross region option: If enabled, the restrictions of auxiliary lines will be ignored, allowing arrays in multiple auxiliary line regions to be connected to a block. If disabled, arrays in different auxiliary line areas will not be able to connect to a block.

Restriction option: If enabled, the selection range that does not completely intersect with the segmentation area will be invalid, making it convenient for users to only select arrays that are completely within a certain segmentation area.

The effects of the options "cross region" and "restriction" are shown in the following figure:

Auto create power block

After clicking the "Auto create" button, you can enter the automatic division of power blocks mode.

Array Grouping

Automatic grouping

If the automatic grouping results do not meet expectations, the user can adjust the relevant parameters to re group or choose the manual grouping method.

Manual grouping

The manual grouping function allows users to adjust the results of automatic grouping or directly perform manual grouping.

Click the "Manually Add Group" button, and draw a polygon to select arrays. Users can switch to the box selection method by pressing the "ALT" key. After selecting some strings, right-click to select "New Group", "Remove from Group", or "Add to Other Groups" on the menu.

Planning transformer capacity and the qty. of strings connected to each transformer

After grouping is completed, the list will display relevant information such as "grouping information", "transf. kVA", etc. for each group.

Volatility: refers to the allowable deviation value for the qty. of connected strings in the "QTY. of strings".

Tips： Users can manually adjust the "Transformer Specification (kVA)", "Number", and "Volatility" according to project requirements. If two capacity specifications of 3150kVA and 2000kVA transformers are used, "3150,2000" needs to be entered in the "Transformer Specification (kVA)", where "," should be English characters. At the same time, the "QTY." should also match the specifications and quantities of the transformers. Entering "4,13" represents the use of 4 transformers (3150kVA ) and 13 transformers(2000kVA), where "," should be English characters.

By clicking the "Calculate" button, users can re-plan the capacity and capacity ratio of transformers under this group.

Division

Click the "Divide" button to enter the division interface of the group.

Max distance between arrays: When the distance between two arrays is less than the set threshold, they can be divided into a power block.

Width/height or H/W: The ratio of the width/height and height/width of the boundary of the power block, used to ensure that the boundary of the power block not deviation from square too much.

Qty. of horizontal blocks: setting the quantity of horizontal blocks.

Vertical division direction: the software can automatically perform appropriate vertical partitioning to ensure that the boundaries of each power block are clear and neat. Of course, users can also choose the "manual picking" method based on specific project requirements.

Users can select the "Manual Pick" mode through the drop-down menu, click the "Pick" button, and then click two points in sequence to draw a straight line.

During the drawing process, holding down the CTRL key can restrict lines to orthogonal directions, while pressing the TAB key can switch to selecting the boundaries of the layout area.

Automatic recognition of longitudinal gap: When adjacent array gaps are arranged in a straight line, the software automatically recognizes gaps greater than 2 meters and less than 10 meters as longitudinal gaps.

Calculate more potential results: the software will attempt to use more starting positions and vertical width partitions, the calculation speed may correspondingly slow down.

Click the "Advanced" button to enter the advanced settings for partitioning restrictions.

After clicking the "Calculate" button, the software will display the results in the list. 

By clicking the 'Preview' button, users can view the detailed information of the current plan. Click "Apply" button to select plan.

After clicking the "Apply" button, a dialog box for "Automatically locate transformer" will automatically pop up, and users can set relevant parameters according to the specific situation of the project design.

Placing Transformer

Manual placing

Left click to select the base point for placing the transformer, then rotate it to the design angle, or enter a rotate angle by keyboard.

Automatic placing

After setting the relevant parameters, click the "Calculate Position" button, and the software will automatically calculate the placement position of the box transformer and provide a corresponding result list.

Users can freely choose the desired solution based on "cable length", "maximum length per unit", and "qty. of deleted arrays", check the corresponding solutions, and click the "preview" button to view their positions. The yellow rectangular box represents the location where the box transformer is placed, and the red X represents the array that needs to be deleted after placing the box transformer.

Modify the power block tag

After the division of power blocks is completed, the software will tag the power blocks in the order of top to bottom and left to right.

Click on "Freely Create" and right-click on the menu to select "Customize number" or "Continuously modify transformer number". Choose the power block and modify its tag. You can also choose "Modify transformer automatic tagging rules" to modify the rules for transformer automatic tagging.

After modifying the tag, you can use the "Lock/Unlock device number" function (Candela Advanced), and the block tags that have already been customized will not change after application.

Exporting Transformer Coordinates

Similar to modifying the tagging, right-click on the menu and select "Export coordinates and capacity of all transfomers" to export.

Modify the size of the transformer

Similar to modifying numbers, right-click on the menu and select "Modify transformer size" to make changes.

Modify the capacity of the transformer

Similar to modifying numbers, selecting "Modify transformer capacity" from the right-click menu allows you to modify the capacity of transformers.

Delete power block

There is a list of divided power blocks at the bottom of the interface, and the order of the list is consistent with the tag of the power blocks.

You can delete the power block by clicking the "Delete All" button below the list. If you need to delete the corresponding power block, you can click the "Delete" button next to the corresponding tag in the list.

Batch modify trans. position or import new trans

Click on "Free Division", right-click on the menu, and select "Batch modify trans. position or import new trans batch_modify_trfs_position. xlsx". Fill in the transformer tag (required), center X/Y coordinates (required, geodetic coordinates), and orientation (can be empty) in the template.

Select 'Batch modify transformer position or import new transformers' and import the file with the added transformer data information to complete the batch adjustment of transformer position or import of new transformer positions.